Monday, June 17, 2013

17 June 1994 - To Be Fair, I Always Pictured Her As A Defender

On 17 June 1994, Diana Ross opened the World Cup with one of the worst penalty kicks ever.

To celebrate hosting their first World Cup, the United States brought in a host of celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Daryl Hall, Jon Secada, and Ross for the opening ceremonies at Chicago's Soldier Field before a match between Germany and Bolivia. The day got off to an inauspicious start when Winfrey fell on stage after introducing Ross, but the former Supreme managed to outdo that flub.

After her introduction, Ross performed her hit single "I'm Coming Out" while jogging across the field. Just before taking the stage, she was supposed to score a penalty kick against a waiting goalkeeper, then the goalposts would split apart, allowing her to run through the goal and onto the stage.But when she got to the spot, she sent her kick wide to the left. The posts split as scheduled and she ran up to the stage under a chorus of boos from the crowd of over 63,000.

The crowd was rewarded with a close game, though, as Germany edged Bolivia 1-0 with a 61st-minute goal from Jürgen Klinsmann.